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'I'd just sit and cry': Woman's before-and-after acne photos show her 'painful' journey

A woman has shared photos of her severe acne online, saying the painful condition makes her feel like a “monster.”

Mother-of-two Steph Klassen, who is 29 years old, said her acne appeared unexpectedly in September and has been getting gradually worse ever since.

“Yep that’s right, almost 30 freaking years old and this happens,” said Klassen.

Klassen said her acne came up unexpectedly in September and has been getting gradually worse ever since. Here she is pictured before it started to get bad. (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)
Klassen said her acne appeared unexpectedly in September and has been getting gradually worse ever since. Here she is pictured before it started to get bad. (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)

“It’s #painful it’s #ugly it’s #debilitating,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of her swollen face.

She continued: “I’m trying my absolute best to be #positive to not hide myself away but carry on. I won’t lie, it’s not easy. Some days are sunshine rainbows and puppies lol others are bawl in a fetal position for hours.”

A woman has shared the horrific effects of her cystic acne. (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)
A woman has shared the horrific effects of her cystic acne. (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)

Klassen developed severe cystic acne when she was 25 years old and pregnant. However, tragically, she ended up losing the baby at 18 weeks when she contracted sepsis and doctors had to fight to save her life.

Here is a timeline of her acne struggles. (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)
Here is a timeline of her acne struggle. (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)
Klassen developed severe cystic acne when she was 25-years-old and pregnant. However, she developed sepsis and tragically lost the baby. (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)
Klassen developed severe cystic acne when she was 25 years old and pregnant. However, she developed sepsis and tragically lost the baby. (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)

Now, she’s on 20 mg of acne medication isotretinoin, two daily hormone-balancing capsules, turmeric capsules, iodine drops, and hormone balancing cream (not applied to her face).

She also uses aloe vera gel straight from the plant on her face, and she has cut out inflammatory foods.

“It’s so hard to not assume that everyone is staring at me and thinking ‘omg look at her face.’ My sense of self-confidence is slightly askew,” she wrote online.

Her acne has been getting worse and shattering her confidence. (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)
Her acne has been getting worse and is shattering her confidence. (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)

“I go out and I’lI have a hard time making eye contact or even holding my head high. I end up exhausted from trying to keep myself from bawling or just straight up losing it,” she said.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Steph said she has a “warped” image of herself now, and some days she feels “like a monster.”

“The cysts were so deep they were hitting the nerve endings in my face,” she said. “The feeling was like a million lightning bolts shooting all across my face. Sometimes I felt so helpless I’d just sit and cry.”

Klassen said she has a
Klassen said she has a “warped” image of herself now, and says some days she feels “like a monster.” (Photo: Instagram/stephmkt1d)

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